Politician Exposes 26 Billion Baht Education Mega-Project
A parliament member questions a 26-billion-baht education technology mega-project, citing slow implementation, unclear policy direction, and concerns about procurement transparency in the digital learning platform initiated by the Bhumjaith
At 5:25 p.m. on June 30, 2025, in parliament, Prirat Wachrasinthu, a list-based member of parliament from the People's Party, debated the 2570 fiscal year budget bill, noting that while large state projects traditionally involved infrastructure like buildings and dams, modern mega-projects now extend into the digital realm. He highlighted a massive education learning platform project worth over 26 billion baht that was initiated under the Bhumjaithai party's leadership in the education and higher education, science, research, and innovation ministries. The project comprises four major components: the NDLP (Anywhere Anytime) learning promotion program costing 17.3 billion baht; a skill/credit portfolio system for primary and secondary students costing 3.15 billion baht under the education ministry; a skill/credit portfolio program for university students costing 5.14 billion baht; and the National Credit Bank system costing 384 million baht under the higher education ministry. Combined, these four projects exceed 26.2 billion baht—equivalent to building 10 Auditor General offices or matching the annual budgets of five combined ministries: Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Sports, and Energy.
Prirat noted that preliminary feedback from teachers and pilot schools on the NDLP program suggests the results may not justify the budget spent. System support has been slow, and schools cannot fix their own data—central corrections sometimes take months. He called on the government to clarify why implementation has been problematic and how future failures will be prevented.
"When requesting parliament approval for billions of baht to proceed with this mega-project, the government must clearly answer why past implementation has been sluggish and how they will prevent future failure," Prirat said. He identified unclear policy direction as a major concern, with the current education minister failing to articulate how the mega-project will be leveraged or how educational technology will be utilized. The minister's public statements have been inconsistent and directionless, he added.
Prirat further contended that the biggest problem may not be policy confusion but rather a lack of transparency in procurement processes, raising questions about who truly benefits from the mega-project. After reviewing the terms of reference for all project components, he found suspicious details in nearly every document that warrant investigation.
